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Local Whiners Whine That Their Whining Isn’t Being Heard

Not surprisingly, the pro-sodomy protests in front of the Cathedral of Saint Louis by 1400 people 65 people failed to generate any traction, which is defined by these groups as getting lots of camera time. As Advent winds down– the stated period of time for the protests– these advocates seemingly get more and more desperate for attention.

The best way to garner attention, as sham artists like Al Sharpton can tell you, is to get arrested by the local constabulary as you gloriously advance the banner of tolerance and love. But this, too, can be hard, as the local police can barely muster the interest to do so. Well, the “Show Me No Hate”-ers gave it their best shot yesterday anyway.

KMOXhas run a story today about the kerfuffle that wasn’t. Let’s start with a photo (by Chris Weiss and found at KMOX.com) of the 1400 protesters 65 protesters:

Impressive, no doubt. But you can only really experience the absolute terror of the jackbooted stormtroopers (known to some as the police) who try to crush the glorious loveforces of love in these two videos also found at the KMOX site:

Well, it goes without saying that no one was arrested, to the apparent consternation of the protesters, who try to make the most of it anyway. Excerpts from the full story, with some comments:

Protestors accuse church and state of muffling their message

Kevin Killeen Reporting

ST. LOUIS (KMOX Radio) — Supporters of gay marriage protesting outside the New Cathedral claim St. Louis police harrassed them, under the direction — they suspect — of the Archdiocese.

[…]

[The organizer] claims two public relations workers with the Archdiocese were on site talking with police, and he suspects the church orchestrated the pushback[jumping to rash conclusions = love].

At issue in Sunday’s disagreement was whether protestors had the right by their permit to stand both on the sidewalk and near their parked cars. When threatened with arrest, protestors backed away to the sidewalk. [Not exactly Selma, is it?]

[…]

The Archdiocese spokesperson released a statement saying “police were not called by them, nor by the Archbishop, who was out of town and unaware of the protests.” [But who can believe them?]

St. Louis Police also released a statement on the incident: “Several of the protestors told police that they wanted to get arrested for the media attention. [Noooo! That can’t be true!] They have been doing these protests every week for several weeks now with no arrests, so this is their way of getting media attention. If someone is alleging officer misconduct, we encourage them to contact the Internal Affairs Division.”

Protestors are calling on their members to “show up in full force” [1400 people 67 people] this Sunday December 20th at noon outside the New Cathedral . “Our phones are ringing off the hook [2 calls in an hour at least] with angry upset Catholics,” [the organizer] said, “We’re calling on the entire St.Louis LGBT [and XYZLMNOP] and Straight ally community to stand together for Equality next Sunday.”

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15 thoughts on “Local Whiners Whine That Their Whining Isn’t Being Heard”

I was thinking of doing a blog post on this, but then I thought how ridiculous the whole situation has become (especially with those videos, and with KMOX-of all the news organizations in St. Louis-posting this rather stupid article on their website. Meh.

Jeff, the desire of the media to bash the Catholic Church is fairly obvious. In this case, the "reporting" as fact that some malcontents "suspect" the Archdiocese is behind the oh-so-brutal police brutality is the real laugher. The local media is a joke.

FTA:"Sunday's confrontation was the first time a protest group has accused St. Louis police of inhibiting free speech since the department admitted it had wrongly arrested several protestors in town to attend a World Agricultural Forum a few years ago."Inhibiting free speech? Really? These people are going through mental contortions attempting to portray themselves as victims of police oppression. Also, Sunday has a high temperature of 34. I'm sure that will have a damper on their "full-force" protest.

Hey we must be doing something right. You posted it here Timmy, thanks for sending the message out to all the faithful Catholics. Religious and police intimidation never works, oh in fact our very own St. Louis Police were just found guilty of that by a court. http://www.aclu-em.org/pressroom/2009pressreleases/082409policeapologytoprote.htmOh but that's the truth, something this blog never seems to push.Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Timmy.

I chuckled hearing the KMOX story as well. The police arrested no one. The officer interviewed said he knew they wanted to be arrested to obtain attention. Yes, the jab at the Church was a required element of the article. It's in the media style book.

With all due respect, watch your facts Peggy. No officer was interviewed by KMOX. The article referred to a statement from the Police department's public relations office not an actual officer. True, getting arrested for media attention is a standard play; but wait, the protestors didn't get arrested. Now that doesn't make sense? If the protestors really wanted to get arrested, don't you think they would of been arrested at some point? All you have to do is lay down on the steps of the Church and block entry. But the protestors have been peaceful, courteous and respectful the previous 2 Sundays. Want proof, local television channels have covered the demonstrations since the first day, Sunday November 29th.That's why this falls under harassment and police intimidation. Archbishop Carlson used intimidation when he sent $10,000 to strike down a newly passed marriage equality law in Maine.Apparently the Archbishop thinks he is above the law — sounds like the officer in this video. Fact: there was no officer interviewed, there statement is completely made up.

The video is instructive. It shows Ed Reggi offering an insultingly lame excuse for not complying with the terms of the demonstration permit; Ed tells the cop who asks him to get out of the street: "I'm just standing by my car."Ed is clearly attempting to provoke the police who are making a reasonable request. Having the cops show up is exactly what the demonstrators wanted. If a stray dog had trotted by they would have tried to find a way to have it leap at their neck, if a fire hydrant were near by they would have hooked up a fire hose and sprayed themselves; and of this is so they can depict the Church as Bull Connor. There IS a narrative, or script which they MUST follow. This has to look like a replay of Selma or it won't work.

Dear Show-Me-No, You wrote, "Archbishop Carlson used intimidation when he sent $10,000 to strike down a newly passed marriage equality law in Maine."Stop right there. Did you really mean to say that for an organization to make a financial contribution to a political campaign is "intimidation". I don't think you really mean that. Or, if you do then you have a VERY wide definition of "intimidation" especially since the donation was not deliberately publicized. On another point, one must agree that the demonstrators as a whole were not attempting to engage in civil disobedience and get arrested. However, I agree with the anon above who points out that the video shows professional actor Ed Reggi deliberately baiting the police which shows that one of the leaders of the demonstration was trying to get arrested.

Robert -'Stop right there. Did you really mean to say that for an organization to make a financial contribution to a political campaign is "intimidation".'Actually you stop right there: "Question 1," was not a state referendum like previous state ballot measures which allowed the public to vote on any political issue. Question 1 asked Maine voters if they want to "VETO" the new marriage equality Law approved by Maine's Legislature and signed by Maine's Governor John Baldacci (who is Catholic). Over 40 Catholic Bishops, including Abp. Carlson, chose to seed the campaign that organized the signature campaign to place the special "veto ballot measure" before Maine voters. Maine's Constitution was not changed after this vote and already Maine's legislators and Governor said they will pass the marriage equality law again next year. Archbishop Carlson funded less of what looks like a political campaign and more what looks like a way to strip two branches of Maine's Government from doing what they were elected to do: write and pass civil laws. Does the Archbishop plan to keep funneling your precious dollars to Maine every 2 years? What a waste especially when your Catholic Schools are in disrepair, parishes revenue is low and Catholic Charities donations dwindling. As far as Ed Reggi baiting police officers; it seems from the videos Ed must be one good actor to avoid being arrested for two city ordinances that the officer claimed he was violating. Remember this is the same police department that just lost a Federal Court case involving the same legal issues: violating citizens rights to demonstrate peacefully. The City had to pay out on that one.Do you not think if this group wanted to disrupt and get arrested they could of easily done so by laying down on the Cathedral's property, sidewalk or street? Warning: the more the Catholic Church blocks civil liberties and rights of Americans, the more "push back" demonstrations you will see outside your neighborhood church – not only in St. Louis but across the country.

Issue as many "warnings" as you want, "Show Me". We who refuse to capitulate to the demands of the deeply self-loathing militant minority that you represent will not be intimidated.All human beings — regardless of how they may categorize themselves sexually — deserve protection from the ugly heart of what your movement represents underneath the "marriage" rhetoric.That ugly heart is sodomy, which harms people both physically and psychologically and has nothing whatsoever to do with marriage.

Robert Persons posted the following:Dear Show-mo-no-hate, Re-read what you wrote on the history of the "veto ballot measure". Your own description shows that it was an entirely legal and democratic measure. From no part of your description does the use of the noun "intimidation" follow. The valid part of your complaint is a rehash of a critique of plebicites which is as old as Cicero. Indeed, the right to put vetoes of validly passed laws in front of the people, does "intimidate" legislators who want to pass laws above the sentiments of the people. But this kind of "intimidation" is legal, democratic, populist and in no way like the usual definition of "intimidation" which involves bullying. As for Ed Reggi, all I can tell from the video is that he was attempting to frustrate the cop by making an infantile argument which proposed that during a legal and permitted demonstration, a citizen has a right to modify the boundaries of the demonstration if he only parks his car outside the boundaries and stands by the car.That is an idea so manifestly stupid that I can only conclude Ed is stupid, or he is trying to [anger] a cop and that, my friend, will always lead to arrest. Most Catholics like and respect gays but think marriage involves very specific acts and commitments which same-sex couples are physiologically unable to perform. They also feel that an institution in peril (through no fault of gays) cannot but suffer from a new and wildly different definition as the one your advocates propose. Moreover, on too many occasions capable reporters in the New York Times and Village Voice have quoted gay marriage partisans who will allow that by "marriage" they do not mean something that has the strictness of straight marriage with respect to sexual fidelity. That gives good men and women pause and caution. Some gay marriage partisans I expect really do mean to "marry" and "forsake all others". However, too many times I have heard gay men allow that they will in fact do no such thing and it's their right to have any kind of marriage they want. It's already legal for you guys to co-habitate according to any rules you want. But marriage is something specific and you fellows want to not only join it but change it. We're not going to let that happen. And now I want to go a little off topic. Show-me, here's something many supporters of anti-gay marriage initiatives can't help but think. We think, "You guys already have Theatre, Opera, Antiques and the Central West End. You have parts of university English departments, Soulard, and Lafayette Square.We've heard you have the entire bond department of First Boston in Manhattan and other areas of business and finance. 'All the talk and tone of society', as Chesterton once put it, is on your side. Hollywood loves you. Talk show hosts adore you. Publishers have worshipped your writers since Truman Capote lounged over his sofa and stared from the back cover of "Other Voices, Other Rooms" with the eyes of a hungry lizard.You've got everything that matters to you guys. Here is our complaint: Can't you let us dull old breeders have our mossy old institution of marriage? Can't you? Can you not allow institutions that have nothing to do with you continue for those they serve? Where has gone the old cherished, homosexual virtue of breeding and tact. Do you really think any self respecting homosexual of the Gore Vidal, Truman Capote, Djuna Barnes, Cole Porter generation, would be caught dead asking for "marriage"?Socrates never thought of it. Plato would have laughed at it. I don't think Oscar Wilde would have mentioned it to Bosie except as a laugh. Oops. Sorry. Sorry, now I'm whining.Robert_Persons

Dear just wondering said…,I love your comment about buying lunch for the cops. I recently learned that modern training for police officers now includes protocols which command that an officer simply endure egregious insults and displays of violent anger in socially charged situations. When Henry Louis Gates, the African American professor at Harvard, was arrested while breaking into his own house I found articles quoting police officers from large municipalities on the protocol for handling situations like this. The quoted officers said that for some time now the theory has been that it's not worth making a worthless bust; better to just let the angry citizen combust into flames. Let them vent and then keep the peace. Send everyone home. So, yeah, the cops are really on to this. The aggrieved protestor frequently is frustated and WANTS to get arrested. Cops know it's better not to satisfy them.